


Bear in Mind

by PoptartsUnlimited



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fae, Fae AU, M/M, Some Swearing, for the lovely vashoth, gratuitous use of Mt. St. Helens as setting, i wrote this whole story so i could make one pun, references to a nsfw fic but this is sfw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-03 05:44:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11525748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoptartsUnlimited/pseuds/PoptartsUnlimited
Summary: Hanzo has a contract to deal with a monster terrorizing a hiking trail. Jesse doesn't make things easier.





	Bear in Mind

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Vashoth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vashoth/gifts).



> My entry for Shipwatch Shipweek Day 1: Fairy Tale/AU, and also my birthday present to Elaine (Vashoth on here), though it's over a month late! This is meant to be part of Elaine's Fae AU, which is super good - you should read it if you've not already.
> 
> Thank you to Tsol (DoctorQui) for being awesome and doing beta on this!

“It says we gotta watch for bears and cougars,” Jesse announced, reading the sign with a grin Hanzo had come to be wary of.

“No wrestling bears,” Hanzo grumbled. He shouldered his way past him to start down the muddy trail that led through the trees. Somewhere in this forest there was a ‘problem’ being of some sort. His client had been vague about it, but based on the proximity of some lava tubes, he suspected it was nothing more than a simple cave troll.

Jesse, on the other hand, was excited about the prospect of it being a werebear, despite Hanzo’s insistence that finding such a creature was both highly unlikely and much more problematic.

He rolled his eyes at Hanzo’s statement. “You know I’d win.”

“And I do not doubt that.” Hanzo cast an eye around the trees. The rain-drenched hemlock branches encroached on the trail more than he would like, making a good line of sight difficult to find. He glanced back at Jesse to see him levitating his pack in front of him as he walked. It didn’t seem like there was any point in arguing that this was probably not the most inconspicuous way to carry one’s camping gear. Jesse knew. He just didn’t care.

The hike to the cave was short, which was fortunate as the drizzle became a downpour within a few minutes of their arrival. There were certainly ways that Jesse could make it more bearable, but he apparently chose not to today.

“Not much of a hike,” Jesse commented, peering down the concrete stairs into the dark hole in the ground.

“Fortunately.” Hanzo gripped the handrail as he walked down the algae-slicked steps.

Jesse hummed skeptically. “Y’know, I wasn’t a big fan of Washington State before, to be honest, but after the last time...”

A smirk spread across Hanzo’s face. “Oh?”

“I had a pretty good time, dragonling, and I think I know who to thank for it.”

Hanzo reached the bottom of the steps and began to search around the cave entrance for anything of note. “And who is that? The harpy?”

“I was thinkin’ more like that old Doug fir,” Jesse said. Before Hanzo knew it, he was in front of him, giving him a quick, biting kiss that was over as soon as he realized it was happening.

“Jesse,” he chided. “I am trying to work.”

“So am I,” Jesse said with a wink.

Responding would only encourage him, Hanzo reasoned. He rolled his eyes and continued searching. There didn’t appear to be much on the ground besides empty food wrappers and the occasional half-rotted trail map. He wrinkled his nose on discovering a blackening orange peel. Tourists could be so disgusting.

Finding nothing helpful outside the cave, Hanzo carefully stepped over the piles of rocks at the entrance and walked to the edge of the blackness. “If you want to _actually_ work, you could start by helping light this place for us.”

“Aw, damn, looks like I forgot my flashlight,” Jesse grumbled theatrically. He grinned as Hanzo shot him an annoyed look and in moments was off down the path into the cave.

Hanzo stared down the dark passageway after him, taking the time to ready his bow. In a few moments, a faint, pulsating yellow light began to grow from deeper inside the cave, gradually becoming bright enough to illuminate the rocky tunnel. Deep shadows remained despite the light, their shapes eerie in the tightly enclosed confines of the cave.

“Thank you, Jesse,” Hanzo called quietly.

His words were met with a chuckle directly behind him. At this point used to Jesse’s abilities, it didn’t even startle him.

“Don’t thank me, dragonling,” Jesse laughed. “Thank them. See, you didn’t need me after all.”

Brow furrowing in confusion, Hanzo squinted to see what he was talking about. On closer inspection, the light illuminating the cave came not from one source, but thousands of tiny pinpricks that seemed to be _moving_ –

“There are no fireflies in Washington State,” Hanzo said, backing away from a cave wall literally crawling with the insects. “At least, none that glow.”

“That right?” Jesse said. “Well, ain’t that a shame.”

As if with the flip of a switch, all the fireflies suddenly went dark.

Hanzo rolled his eyes even though he doubted Jesse could see it. “Did I say I wanted them gone?”

He heard Jesse’s teasing tone somewhere in front of him. “Nah, you just said there aren’t any. And look, there aren’t!”

“I take it back. There are a few, at least when you are here. Happy?”

Twin spots of glowing gold appeared as Jesse turned to look at him, blinking slowly. “Hmm.”

Slowly, the dim light of the fireflies returned, their golden color matching the glow of Jesse’s eyes. “You better not complain ‘bout it, alright?”

“I never did.” Hanzo decided it was best not to argue any further and began to search the cave floor for any hint of the creature that was the object of their hunt.

The lava tube ended abruptly in a seemingly solid wall, but Jesse paused before it, his head cocked like a curious dog. “This ain’t it,” he said, rapping his knuckles against the black rock. “Hear that?”

Hanzo had to admit that no, he didn’t quite hear what Jesse was talking about. He stood aside to let Jesse blast his way through the seemingly solid rock anyway, exposing a much rougher, untraveled portion of tunnel up ahead.

“I suppose that does make it a little unlikely that we can expect to find a cave troll,” Hanzo conceded, peering down the newly-revealed section of tunnel. “But it also eliminates the prospect of it being werebear.”

Jesse turned back, wrinkling his nose. “C’mon, it could still be a werebear. Just gotta be one who knows a little ‘bout rocks, yeah?”

Shaking his head, Hanzo searched the ground anew. He frowned when he saw what he had both come to expect and dread: a smooth groove in the rock, about a meter across, twisting deep into the darkness of the lava tube.

“Jesse,” he called quietly, pointing out the feature to him. “Cherufe.”

“What?” Jesse looked down incredulously. “Can’t be, we’re too far north. Those guys like South America.”

“It makes sense,” Hanzo said, straightening up to look down the tunnel warily. “This is an active volcano still. There are frequent earthquakes and every so often someone goes missing. Not to mention all the people who died in the eruption. I should have realized sooner….” 

“So keep an eye out for giant snakes made of lava, huh?” Jesse shook his head, letting out a low whistle. It was rare that he seemed even remotely impressed by one of Hanzo’s hunts. “Damn, Hanzo, I think you might prefer the werebears. You ever fought a cherufe before?”

“Once, a number of years ago. I was vastly more prepared then, and even with that preparation, it was rather…unpleasant.”

“What, you think you’ll need my help?” Jesse turned to flash him a broad grin, all teeth.

“No,” Hanzo said firmly. Jesse’s help was generally anything but helpful.

“Suit yourself, hun,” Jesse said with a shrug. “How’re ya gonna take this one down, then?”

Hanzo ignored him, trying to come up with a plan. His bow would be useless against the monster made of lava and stone. It would take more than a little magic to undo such a powerful, invulnerable being. In truth, he wasn’t really ready for this fight. Sighing, he turned back.

“Where’re you off to?” Jesse asked. “Not givin’ up?”

“I need a better plan,” Hanzo admitted. “We can come back tomorrow.”

“Aw, c’mon, Hanzo,” Jesse complained. “That’s the same as givin’ up. Here I was, all ready for excitement and –“

“Lower your voice.” Hanzo looked over his shoulder, eyes narrowed in the dark. No longer trusting Jesse’s fireflies, he briefly lit the cave with a flash of blue lightning. Nothing unusual showed. Warily, he turned back to continue back towards the entrance.

Jesse sighed melodramatically. “Yeah, yeah. You know if it were me fightin’ that–“

“I said, _lower your voice_ ,” Hanzo hissed, turning around again. He closed his eyes this time, just listening.

For a few moments, there was nothing but silence. Hardly daring to breathe, he let his eyes flutter open just in time to hear that tell-tale grinding slide of stone on stone.

Tensing, he stared warily down the tunnel. He could see it now, the orange, burning glow encased in black basaltic rock, withering the fireflies as it grew close.

Jesse felt it now, too, cringing away slightly. His eyes flashed to Hanzo’s with an uncharacteristically questioning look. It was then that Hanzo remembered something that had seemed almost unimportant all those years ago when he brought down the cherufe that had terrorized a town in southern Peru: their teeth were made of iron.

The creature abruptly came to a halt, seeming to carefully scrutinize Jesse and Hanzo. It raised its snakelike head and stared at them curiously, a tongue of flame flickering over its stony nose. Hanzo heard Jesse scoff beside him, and for a moment the creature seemed to grow a pair of floppy ears that hung down over its fiery eyes.

“Not too scary now, are ya?” Jesse teased as it whipped its head to the side and snapped at the illusion with its iron teeth, vanishing them in an instant.

Its fangs bared, the cherufe lunged towards them. Hanzo responded instinctively, dropping his bow and throwing himself at it in a whirlwind of motion. Scales erupted across his body, his nails elongating into claws, his teeth turning to pointed white fangs sharper than any cherufe’s. Dimly he could hear Jesse say something behind him, but he ignored it, focused on the creature before him.

The cherufe’s fire rolled off him like water on a duck’s back. Iron might be the bane a fae, but fire was a dragon’s element. His own blue, crackling flames met the glowing molten rock of the cherufe in a blinding explosion of light, his claws digging into its armored sides.

Rolling under his grasp, the cherufe flung him into the side of the cave, escaping his claws for a moment before he could gain purchase again. It lunged forward, jaws wide as it snapped at Jesse, who backed away with the casual air of a bullfighter. Hanzo put his body between them, slamming the cherufe’s head to the ground with a clawed foot. He wanted those iron teeth nowhere near Jesse if he could help it.

The air in the cave grew suddenly cold and the creature roared, biting at the air wildly. Jesse’s doing, he realized, taking advantage of the distraction to renew his attack. Claws screeched on the cave floor as he dug in his back feet, tearing at the cherufe’s stony armor with his teeth. The hot lava beneath cooled rapidly once exposed, drawing pained roars from the creature’s flaming throat.

He wasn’t sure how long the fight lasted, or when exactly it was over. Steam rose from the ruins of the cherufe’s carcass as Hanzo uncurled his sinuous body and staggered away. His head hung with exhaustion, smoke rising from his nostrils with every panting breath.

“Ain’t never seen ya like that before,” Jesse said, approaching slowly. Hanzo looked up to see him gesture towards his body vaguely. “All the way dragoned out, y’know?”

He grunted in response, giving a little shake of his head before slowly, laboriously morphing back into a form that would pass for human. “I prefer not to use it,” he said, his voice rough and ragged from the fight.

“Didn’t give you much of a choice, did it,” Jesse said, picking up Hanzo’s bow. Hanzo reached for it gratefully, the cool metal calming in his hands.

“No. It did not.”

Jesse probably already knew the reason why he disliked using his dragon form so much. Even now, in the form of a man, he felt strangely vulnerable. Focusing on the present was difficult, with all the terrible memories that being forced into that form brought back so abruptly.

“Think we oughtta get back and camp out for the night. What’dya say?” Jesse asked, giving him a little nudge.

“We should,” Hanzo replied.

His voice was slightly stiffer than usual, which Jesse seemed to catch onto. Slipping his fingers through Hanzo’s, he chattered on the way back, giving him something to listen to. It provided a good distraction from his own thoughts

Jesse let his fireflies fade as they approached the entrance to the tunnel. Squinting against the light, Hanzo nearly dragged Jesse after him up the stairs and back into the woods. He kept his eyes on the ground as they walked, scanning the fungi and plants with mild disinterest.

“So,” Jesse said after a moment’s pause. “What’s your favorite Disney movie?”

“What–my what?” Hanzo stammered, caught off guard. “My favorite Disney movie?”

“Yep.”

“I…never really thought about it,” Hanzo admitted. It was Jesse who had introduced him to most of the Disney movies he’d seen in the first place. “I imagine you like the Tinker Bell movie, though.”

“What?” Jesse made a face. “Nah. That’s just rude, Han, that’s like sayin’ you like Pete’s Dragon best.”

“What if I do like Pete’s Dragon best?” Hanzo teased.

“You fell asleep,” Jesse pointed out. “So I know it ain’t that one.”

He fell silent for a moment. Hanzo glanced up at him to see that he looked ever-so-slightly annoyed, but seemed to be keeping his composure. Sighing, he looked down to the trail again to see a line of red and gold mushrooms merrily leading the way back to the campsite, wobbling along on their little stipes as they marched ahead of them.

“…Why?” Hanzo asked, laughing incredulously.

“Figured I’d give you a hint,” Jesse said with a shrug.

Hanzo stared for a moment as one of the smallest mushrooms fell behind, leapt into the air, and scurried to catch up. The scene seemed familiar. “Fantasia?” he asked, surprised.

“Bingo.” Jesse gave him a playful elbow. “Betcha didn’t expect that.”

“I–not really,” Hanzo admitted. “And I must confess, I never gave any thought to which movie is my favorite. I might not have one.”

“Just means you gotta think on it a bit more,” Jesse said with a shrug. He looked back down at the mushrooms, sending them scurrying in all directions with a flick of his wrist as they reached their campsite.

With a sigh, Hanzo broke from him and made a beeline for their tent, barely pausing to yank off his boots before crawling in. Jesse followed after him, sitting beside him on their little sleeping bags. His golden eyes watched him as he sat, looking down at the bow still clenched in his hands.

Putting his hand over Hanzo’s, Jesse met his eye. “You alright there, dragonling?”

He nodded in response, consciously loosening his grip on the bow. “Yes.”

“Good. Y’know I still get worried ‘bout you sometimes. Know I probably shouldn’t, but.” Jesse shrugged. “Can’t help it.”

“I worry about you, as well, so I suppose we are even,” Hanzo said, the image of the cherufe’s iron fangs snapping through his mind unbidden.

Jesse laughed. “Aw, you don’t gotta do that. I’m a tough cookie.” Hearing a noise outside the tent, he looked over to the entrance, making a face when he saw it was just some tourist. “You ever get a job where it turns out to be two different monsters at once?”

Hanzo took a moment to think. “A couple of times. Usually I am warned first.”

“But I mean, this, hypothetically, it could be that cherufe and something else?”

“A cherufe is unlikely to suffer intruders on its territory,” Hanzo said. He turned to put his bow away again. “I suppose it is possible. Especially if it were a quick and elusive creature.”

“So…like a werebear,” Jesse said, grinning.

Shaking his head, Hanzo sighed. “You really wanted to fight a bear.”

“Aw, can you really blame me, dragonling? I couldn’t even help with this guy. Damn, that was frustrating.” He pulled Hanzo into his arms. “You were great, though.”

“Am I not always?” Hanzo asked teasingly.

Laughing again, Jesse leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Well, I reckon you are pretty great always. Maybe, just maybe even greater than a werebear.”

He ducked as Hanzo aimed a playful swat at the back of his head.

“I love you more for the fact that you are not a werebear,” Hanzo said, finally returning the kiss. “But. I also know that if you really wanted, you are perfectly capable of turning yourself into a–not in the tent, Jesse!”

Of course, his warning came too late. Explaining to the clerk at the outdoor store exactly how their rented tent had sustained such damage proved harder than any fight against a monster.


End file.
